I started my blog 7 years ago. Right before I got pregnant with my last child. The blog helped me to focus on writing regularly and to better my writing skills. I also gained confidence and esteem as I had to put myself out here and socialize with the world which I otherwise would never have done. And it gave me something to be and do besides mothering. A chance to have my own identity: myself.

It’s been a gradual metamorphosis. I have begun to finally see that I perhaps Can do things that seem hard and be vulnerable and I won’t die. But the number one thing that has kept my readership low is that I hardly ever ask anyone to do anything. I only started asking people to even read my blog on Instagram maybe a year ago. I was afraid they wouldn’t want to read, that I wasn’t worthy of the read, so why ask.

Except I was worthy of reading. But the internet only rewards those who step up and tell you what to do. Read Me Now! Just because I have good content doesn’t mean I will be found by my best and most perfect readership. And if my writing doesn’t hold someones’ attention, I’d rather them walk away than be unhappy. I am a dedicated and prolific writer and blogger and the number one reason that I don’t have a bigger following is because I never thought myself worthy of them. But I’m working like heck on it !

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

I am sitting back listening to the birds singing their final Fall goodbyes. Accompanied by the crickets, I hear the bird song and then the response echo. Maybe they’re looking for a last fling before they fly off to warmer places? And I am suddenly reminded of the way we all go in search for familiar people. Our flocks are out there waiting for us to find them. We are birds of a feather flocking together in many ways that count.

Hope is there where the flock resides. A place to be seen and heard for just who we are. It feels like family and familiarity and peaceful restoration to be in the same place as like-minded people. And it is definitely worth looking for.

When I entered the online world of social media, all I could feel was fear of vulnerability. I was terrified to be seen by people I always thought I’d never be seen by again. Ex-lovers and past schoolmates would see me as I am now and I thought, I wouldn’t be impressed with me either. But what I came to find was that the truth isn’t at all that dramatic when everyone’s also human. We forgive each other stuff lest we be judged too.

Hope is there where the flock resides.

A place to be seen and heard for just who we are.

Further I found, that when you do find like-minded people, you truly feel seen on the inside without ever laying eyes on one another. You begin to forgive yourself the ridiculous stuff you used to focus on as you begin to see yourself through other people’s eyes. People who don’t even know you see right down to the gems that are your soul. And you have no other choice but to believe them.

Because there’s magic that happens in the world you’d never know unless you’d experienced it. A deeper connection with a collective humanity that defies definition and exists right below the surface of all the noise. And that interconnected web holds us all up even when we can’t see it. And believing in it and a better outcome for us all is a blind faith I dig having.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

I love to connect with like-minded creative women on Instagram. This format of Social media (also known as a platform) became my preferred online social interaction as I was trying to build an audience for my blog. I very hesitantly joined communities and challenges and slowly started to poke my head out of my fear shell. And I credit Instagram and creativity for curing me of my anxieties.

I’d never experienced community and was completely unsure of what it meant and how I was supposed to do it. I just knew that being witnessed by these wonder women from inside their hearts was the greatest gift ever. I watched and I listened as they showed me what vulnerability looked like and what it gives you. And my intuition told me that, despite what everyone said about social media, there was something really good going on here.

We humans want to be accepted by our tribe as who we truly are. It is our deepest desire to have our authentic selves seen. At the same time, we are afraid of rejection and judgment as this could mean ostracization and either physical death or shame and the death of our spirit. This is primal fear stuff that we aren’t truly aware of but have discerned from the teachings of our pack and our world.

So here we are, the loveliest ladies on Instagram and we’re feeling the swellness of being witnessed and the rawness of risking being judged. We have two choices at all times. We can either choose to fit-in, twist ourselves into the likeness of those around us as to guarantee we will be accepted. Or we can choose to be vulnerable and authentic and watch as people love us for who we are. Because this is our hearts desire and this requires faith and letting go.

I know that when I act inauthentically and try to make people like me, I lose trust in them and myself. I know they aren’t really liking me but a false image I am manipulating. And I don’t trust myself even for thinking so little of me that I am unworthy of being seen. It’s a sticky wicked if ever there was one. And the only cure for this fear quagmire is to just be authentically you.

I heard a woman ask today if her lack of confidence and boldness in posting truths about herself on Instagram recently was about her expectations of what it would bring or fear of being judged. And I replied that we all had that feeling at some point. But there will be that one moment when we post something raw and real about ourselves and that one stranger responds, “Thank You” because they felt inspired and courageous to be authentic as well. And that is the faith that keeps me being vulnerable and witnessing everyone online. It is the blessing, the superpower, that we can give on each other and it’s totally completely free.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And just like that, we’ve come to the end of Our Creative June! I hosted this challenge on Instagram where I encouraged people to join me in creating something daily in the month of June and post it with the #OurCreativeJune and #OurCreativeSelves hashtags, and they did! These artists and creatives stepped up onto the platform alongside me and we collectively creatively kicked butt.

When I chose to double my offerings to arting twice daily by taking on the ICAD (index card a day) challenge as well as my 100 Day Project ( #100daysofShalagh ), I figured what the heck. Why not invite other people to art along with me? I know what immense pride and joy it gives me and I love to pass the empowerment and excitement onto others. See the post from the first week here.

I hosted a Our Creative September challenge back in September of 2016 which led to our creation of the #OurCreativeSelves hashtag . There are 200 posts on that page. And then I hosted a Our Creative May Challenge in May of 2017 with the #OurCreativeMay for which there were 321 posts. For the Our Creative June challenge, there are a total of 533 posts posted to the #OurCreativeJune hashtag on that page. WOW!

Libby Anne aka Libby Mathis

Lily Leung

Miss Flowtravel aka Angelika Anna Maria Uliczka

Moontime Mama aka Courtney McCorkle

Mudpie and Magic Stew aka Michelle

Patty Szymkowicz

Peg Andersen

sgasti aka Sara Stasi

Shannon Faris-Parnell

Sue Bloss

Tea and Paper aka Elizabeth

The Intrepid Godess aka Cheryl

Writingquietly aka Terri Connellan

Zena Toledo

Drumsinger Michelle aka my Sisiter

Heartfully Inspired by Linda

Ikibana Banana aka Miriam

Joanneke Carbaat

Judy Edison

Latoya Burton

Lecrafteur aka Anna Maddox

There are a few of the same participants as well as a few new joinees. And let me tell you, the diversity and talent is so interesting to witness. From photography to magazine and ephemera and mixed media collages, several types of painting, to sewing and needlepoint, these people showed up everyday for themselves and for each other. Community creative challenges are amazing and I encourage anyone and everyone to join one when it comes your way and see what happens. It kinda changed my life in ways I didn’t expect it to. Thank you again to my fellow creatives. I adore you all.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter orPinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

A week into Our Creative June creativity challenge on Instagram and the excitement is all there. To feel and watch as people grab a hold of the idea of creativity as a gift they can give themselves daily is so satisfying. I know that for me, it always brings such a jolt to my esteem when I create. And then sharing it with my community gives me another happy zing.

Am delighted to say that after a week run, there are over 120 posts of creations on the #OurCreativeJune page and there are at least 25 participants including myself. I give you a smattering of some of the art that’s happening. These are all the other creators. I will follow up with a post of my own work soon.

Create the Light

Elizabeth Tea and Paper

Fi Cooper make Walk Read

Heartfully Inspired by Linda

Jax Blunt Live Otherwise

Jennifer The Lode Star Studio

Artwork from Joanneke Carbaat who participated in Our Creative June ’18 on Instagram
http://shalavee.com/our-creative-june-week-one/joanne-painting/

Latoya Burton

Laura Lee Russel

Libby Anne

Lily Leung

Linda Round labrynth

Michelle Hogan

Michelle Mudpie and Magic Stew

Miriam Ikibana banana

Miss Flow Travel

Moomtime Mama

Peg Anderson

Sara Stasi

Shannon Faris-Parnell

Terri Connellan Writing Quietly

Zena Toledo

Cheryl The Intrepid Goddess

Courtney Moontime mama

I understand now that I am an Ambassador of Creativity. That having felt its immense healing powers in my life, there is every reason to share the wonder and joy of this gift with others. I don’t care if you don’t share what you creatively do with others publicly, just as long as you make something for you and feel the ease and comfort that it provides.

In the Instagram post that announced #OurCreativeJune, I wrote, “The antidote to fear is love. I believe creativity and the practice of being in touch with who you really are is the greatest act of self-love.”

My IG friend Kylie gave this back to me by saying,”I love the way Shalagh refers to the practice of being in touch with who you truly are as creative expression. We too often refer to creativity in terms of making something with paint or paper etc but it’s more than that. It’s authenticity, unique thought, honoring what makes you feel good, breaking a routine, reaching out to make a new connection, being yourself or looking at your life, a situation, a relationship with a fresh (and more helpful perspective).”

Where there is love of oneself and authenticity, there is peace and no anxiety. While engaged in creativity, you do not feel the anxiety or fear of a nuclear attack. All you feel is flow. And that is some powerful mojo.

I’m doing two creative pieces a day now. I am still engaged in the 100 Day Project with sketches of everyday objects. See the first post here. And the Icad project (index card a day) has me doing collage or whatever alternate medium I’m in the mood to use. Anyone can jump into our month at anytime with any sort of creativity. Writing is something I do a lot of but don’t acknowledge except it’s highly creative. Photography and Cooking too. So feel free to switch up mediums and just jump in occasionally. There aren’t any true rules but to indulge our creativity.

If you enjoyed what you read, please subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your email box. And visit me on Instagramto see my daily pictures, friend meor like my pageon Facebook. Or come find me on Twitteror Pinteresttoo. I am always practicing Intentional In-touchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

My name is Shalagh Hogan, pronounced Shay-La. I'm the mother of a teen, a six year-old, and I turned 52 this year. This blog was born in 2011 and my hope and joy as a writer, an artist, and an uber-creative, is that by sharing my journey of self-discovery, others will gain inspiration and permission for their own journeys.

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